Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions.

March 2018 · Ministry News

Most of the people employed at Saint Francis are licensed social workers and their colleagues who work alongside them on case teams. They are the skilled professionals on the front lines, the ones who see firsthand and who feel within their own hearts the unique struggles children in our care often face.

Across the United States, approximately 650,000 social workers serve at-risk children and families in communities large, small, and all sizes in between.

That’s why March is kind of a big deal to us. It’s National Social Work Month, and you can learn more about it here.

The National Association of Social Workers has designated this year’s theme “Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions.” According to the NASW, social workers act as advocates, champions and leaders who make our society a better place to live.

Perhaps more than any other profession, social workers understand how severely societal issues such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to resources affect human beings.

Our social workers here at Saint Francis work hard every day to protect children from abuse and neglect. They support families trying to recover from the debilitating effects of poverty, addiction, mental illness, and other issues.

For more than a century, socials workers have labored at the forefront of efforts to improve the lives of the poor and marginalized.

Many of the programs and services we now take for granted are the results of the efforts of dedicated social workers.

That’s why Saint Francis respects social workers – because they try to change the world one child, one family at a time.

How about you? Is there a social worker in your life? Have you thanked her (or him) recently for helping make the world a better place?